Warhammer Quest and Deadzone

I've been mulling over doing a set of modern Warhammer models to use to play Warhammer Quest for over a year now, I have most of the miniatures I need in place and yesterday I finally started painting some heroes, both WIP so far. Haven't painted human (or dwarf) skin in quite a while, the Barbarian is especially nice to work on, rippling as it is with muscle, cuts and scars, lots of interesting things to work on, decided against the fur cloak he comes with, even though the original WHQ one has one, because it obscures some gorgeous sculpting on the back.

Easily my favourite miniature, Barbarian Dude Redux by Raining Frogs, I think between me and my painting friends, I have two of these of the 500 cast, gorgeous model. 

Also started on the Dwarf, although you can't really tell as it belnds with the primer, the beard is also started, I'm trying to match the Dwarf from the original as well as I can in spirit, which calls for him to be a Greybeard.

I also started and finished a Deadzone model in about 15 minutes, wanted to try something on this model and I have two of them to do, so here it is, its mostly drybrushed, with a touch on line highlighted for the extremes. It was quick and looks ok and really, thats all I am aiming for with Deadzone, the "Restic" miniatures aren't worth spending any real time or effort on.

Added some blood effects too, the Resin version includes a ripped
apart soldier and will need even more blood. 

Improving Basing

How it looked before

So last post, I showed the painted Thanatar Siege Automata, and talked about how I wasn't happy with the base and letting it tell the story that I wanted.

I decided that adding a discarded shoulder pad of the Sons of Horus would help tie the theme in, I decided to change this to Death Guard, keeping it more relevant for 40K if I'm able to use Mechanicum forces in that game at some point, and I think it would mix in with the corruption and rust a bit better.

Pad in place and weatherd to match. 

Layering up bone to white, then sponging and stipping rust on to the pad gave it the look I wanted, a few washes of Vallejo Smoke dirtied it up a bit and picking out the edging in a dirty bronze.

This was then glued next to the beam and stippled with the weathing powders used on the base to tie it together.

Something is still missing from this though, looks bare. 

Despite this addition, it was still missing something, so it was back to the drawing board/ the Facebook discussion group for more ideas, I had thought of adding more discarded Astartes parts, weapons etc. but I didn't think it would help to be honest.

My friend Pete suggested grass. We chatted and I've tried it and I think it looks good,

 The idea was again, to represent the spreading corruption of the Heresy and the Chaos Gods in general, the addition of the shoulder pad helps now, its as if even a discarded part armour of a tainted soul is enough to desecrate the ground, but the loyal forces of the Emperor still stride on, impervious.


This has been a really fun project and its nice to have gotten a model and base totally finished, this is the first model I've managed to finish completely since moving house 6 months ago!

More dead grass would be
great to really sell it

Thanatar Siege Automata Finished

Good week of painting progress, managed to zenithal prime the Knights and finish the Thanatar!

Heres the progess and what I've done, I decided that to tie it in with the Thallanxi, he should be mostly brass coloured, with red as a nod to the Mechanicum and because its better for adding some weathering.

Base wise, I wanted it simple, but added a beam of plasticard, nothing specific, and wanted that rusted and leaking out. My idea was that this loyalist robot was stomping over the degraded and spreading corruption, not sure that actually somes across though, I think I might add a Sons of Horus shoulder pad with similar rusting and weathering next to it to drive that home.

Base colours started, Warplock bronze, leadbelcher and khorne red for the most part

Got carried away and started some weathing a bit early here,
had to be redone later on because the red needed work

All base coats finished here and started pushing the red to be
more "red" with a lot of fine layering of glazes, Balthazar gold then Auric Armour to  highlight

Almost finished here, armour gone over with Brass Scorpion, reds highlighed with Wazzdakka Red and re-weathered,Vallejo Smoke applied as a wash to most of the model, plasma Mortar some with Vallejo Icy Blue, highlighted up to white.
Loads of powders on the rusty beam and base as well as brushed to the feet

Forces of Mars

Ok, so, constant distractions aside, this week, I will be working on some paining, I have a Thanatar a Knight and some Thallanxi all assembled, want to start to work on my Mechanicum army for 30K, which it looks like it might be able to grow into a 40K army pretty soon! Lots of nice teasers and peeks of Skitarii around online today

Some sort of walker, not too keen yet.

Looks like it'll be a small release like the Harlequins, I've seen a tiny photo of a Skitarii trooper that looked quite good, I'm quitely hopefuly, could also be a little cheaper than FW Tech Thralls!

Another week with some paintng!

Another Wednesday night in the Scythe painting with folk, a good evening with some good progress made on Grukk.

Really fun model, can't wait to use him in a game once he's all tarted up.

Glad to be back in a regular painting rhythm and painting with friends, added two new people to our little group with week so there was a lot of good chat.

Part way through last night, pushed the highlights on the face, bronze on the Boss Pole and some weathered red on his power claw, decided to keep some warmth to the colours up that arm to add emphasis on his awesome Klaw.

Bit later on, some more on the metals and a shoulder pad, a different red but similar weathing, this is Grukk post "Death" so he's been battered about a bit!

I told you I'd paint something...

Actually got some work done on Grukk and his Squig (I'm calling him Bitey), had a good night painting for a few hours with the guys in the Scythe, haven't done it in a while, looking forward to doing it again. I'd primed the model the night before with the airbrush, using black but then a zenithal burst of light gray, which has really helped the greens stand out.

First Pass of the skin and the leather jacket, went for a brown jacket as I wanted some warm colour in the centre and getting colder on the arms and banner

 

Always a lot of fun hanging out with some like-minded people, drinking tea laughing at freaks and painting some models, its such a change from the usual type of painting where its you alone in your room, it's probably one of my favouite things to do and I wish I got to do it more often.

The Squig was a lot of fun to paint, those teetch are really cool, need to push all the highlights a bit on him though

 

 When I got home I started work on converting an Ork Trukk to go with a Rebel Grot gang for GorkaMorka, I'm happy with the progress on it so far! This is a Lugga, its grot powered, so I built a bit fan with a crank, it works but is in no way practical, not that this would stop Grots.

The crank and blades really spin and the handles rotate too, need to add a top deck and some boarding planks.